We’re all
working together,
That’s the secret.
Healing Through the Sound of Music
P.O. Box 163185
Altamonte Springs, FL 32716
P: 347-395-0259
www.thefannielouhamerstory.com

ONE - WOMAN PLAY

PAGE OF CONTENTS

Great
performance in the
entertainment
business are never
done by one person.
Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re done by a
team of
people.

INTERNATIONAL JUNETEENTH THEATRE CELEBRATION VISION

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VOTING THEME PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT

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FOUNDING OF HEALING THROUGH THE SOUND OF MUSIC

06

RECONCILING HISTORICAL CONTEXT WITH CURRENT EVENTS

07-08

HISTORY AND INSPIRATION OF PERFORMER

09

OTHER PERFORMANCES AND APPEARANCES
PRODUCTION ESSENTIALS

10-12

THE PROJECTS

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AWARDS AND ENDORSEMENTS

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THE FANNIE LOU HAMER STORY DOCUMENTARY PROMO

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INTERNATIONAL JUNETEENTH THEATRE CELEBRATION
Celebrating the Emancipation of the Human Spirit, Mind and Body
VISION
The Juneteenth, Fannie Lou Hamer Story 100th anniversary voting
initiative national tour serves as the flagship production to create
synergy and momentum leading to the midterm election of 2018.
Then onward to the 400th anniversary of the first arrival of African
slaves during the “Maafa” in America in 1619 at Point Comfort, today’s
Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia. This first landing and subsequent
Maafa will be commemorated with a National Juneteenth Theatre
Celebration Convention in 2019, just before the 2020 presidential
election.
Our project supports the campaign to make Juneteenth a National Day of Observance in America.
Additionally, we envision three to seven-day historic celebratory Juneteenth Theatre Festivals
Internationally, “everywhere at once” by all “races” and ethnicities to honor the emancipation of
the human spirit, mind, and body. These educationally entertaining performances will stand on
the premise of the fulfillment of President Abraham Lincoln’s executive order, the Emancipation
Proclamation to free the Black African of slavery in America.
The Pentagon, headquarters of the United States Department of Defense and the most powerful
concentration of U. S. military intelligence recently held an official Juneteenth Flag dedication
ceremony on June 19th, 2017, Juneteenth Day. This military sanctioned event demonstrated
the passage of a most significant threshold in U.S. history, the openly federal celebration of the
emancipation of the spirit, mind, and body of the Black African by the U.S. Department of Defense.
It was attended by some of the highest ranking and most decorated of the U.S. military. Now,
official Juneteenth Flag dedication ceremonies are conducted at U.S. military installations within
the United States and abroad
Juneteenth or June 19, 1865 is officially recognized as a state holiday or Special Day of Observance
in 45 states and the District of Columbia. This elevates grant applications with special legislative
consideration to support Juneteenth Festival Programming by accessing existing state budgets
through the Historic Commission, Arts Commission, Education, Library System, Economic
Development, and Tourism. Legislation to establish Juneteenth as a National Day of Observance
in America will be re-introduced for passage in the United States Senate, United States House
of Representatives and on to the desk of the President of the United States. This will federally
legislate Juneteenth observance providers to apply for federal contractor status to formally present
Juneteenth Theatre Festival programming on every U.S. military installation globally.
NationalJuneteenth.com driven by a valiant twenty-three (23) year initiative of the selfless work
of Rev. Dr. Ronald V. Myers Sr. M.D. has made the aforementioned accomplishments possible.
He is the founder and chairman of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation. Juneteenth.
com provides an international registry of Juneteenth organizations and celebrants worldwide. Now
it’s time to leverage the existing national and international network to create the International
Juneteenth Theatre Festivals. Our design will follow the blueprint of reportedly a 28yr cumulative
$700 million successful model created by the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, NC.
Benefits • Economic revitalization and community engagement that inspires activism through
property ownership, entrepreneurship and block voting • Create Synergy and Momentum to
Awaken and Unify the Black African in America and globally • Leverage block voting to empower
the Black African American community o Mid-term Election - 2018 • City council • Mayoral ▪ State
Representatives and State Senators • U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators o Presidential Election
- 2020.

September 1, 2017
2017 - 18 JUNETEENTH FANNIE LOU HAMER
100th ANNIVERSARY NATIONAL TOUR
The National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF) announces
our joint initiative with Healing Through the Sound of Music national
tour of The Fannie Lou Hamer Story.
Two incredibly dynamic women, Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth,
were the foundational source of inspiration during the abolitionist
movement in America leading to freedom from enslavement
celebrated on JUNETEENTH, the “19th of June,” 1865. They emboldened
the rising indomitable spirit of Fannie Lou Hamer.
“I will not allow my life’s light to be determined by the darkness around
me!” Sojourner Truth
“I freed a thousand slaves, I could have freed a thousand more if only they
knew they were slaves!” Harriet Tubman
Establishing the national tour of Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer’s 100th
Anniversary of her birth is incredibly timely. Harriet Tubman and
Sojourner Truth inspired Fannie Lou Hamer to fight to restore the
voting rights of Americans of African descent. She became the Mother
of Voter Registration during the Voters Rights Movement in the south
following the establishment of Jim Crow laws which occurred during
the “Great White Citizens Backlash” after the Reconstruction Era.
For more information on how you can participate in this inspirational
national tour, contact Djehuty Se Hotep,
Healing Through the Sound of Music at (347) 395-0259
djehuty.thefannielouhamerstory@gmail.com
COORDINATE YOUR TOUR DATE REGIONALLY NOW!
National Tour Production Company
Healing Through the Sound of Music
(347)395-0259
e-mail: - info@healingthroughsoundmusic.com
website: www.thefannielouhamerstory.com

Healing Through the Sound of Music was conceived in 1993 by Lorraine Pope after an
incredible synthesis of her passion, training, skill, and talent. Ms. Pope knew passionately
as a small child her divine calling and purpose in life as a healer. That passion gave her
the drive and determination to complete nursing school and serve as a registered nurse
(RN) until 1998, a period of 20yrs.
While serving as an RN, Ms. Pope would on occasion sing while making her rounds. The
distinctly unique sound of her singing brought a sense of calm to patients and their
families. As time passed, Ms. Pope noticed how her singing provided a unique healing
modality that patients and family members found refreshing compared to the traditional
medical approach. She came to recognize that God had also blessed her with the gift of
healing through songs that â&#x20AC;&#x153;ease the mind and comforts the soulâ&#x20AC;?. After many years of
being reassured by family and friends to offer her singing gift publicly, Ms. Pope developed
the confidence to step out onto the public stage. The combination of a lifelong passion,
attentive care and dedication as an RN awakened her God given talent as a healer utilizing
her angelic voice as her primary instrument.
In 2009, Ms. Pope legally adopted the Swahili name Mzuri (beautiful) Moyo (heart) then
later added Aimbaye (who sings). Therefore, Healing Through the Sound of Music is
dedicated to creating enlightening educational performances that HEAL, INSPIRE and
RAISE HISTORICAL AWARENESS for viewing audiences of all ages from a beautiful heart
who sings, Mzuri Moyo Aimbaye.

The most important news for captured and enslaved Black
African people in America was the announcement of their
freedom. Voting rights represented their first and most
momentous action to test and push the boundaries of their
freedom. The Black Africans’ plight has required changing
oppressive and cruel policies at all levels of government to
guarantee what should be an “inalienable birthright”.

Institutionally suppressive policies remain in our political system today altering the right
to a basic quality of life. Two incredibly dynamic women who were the foundational source
of inspiration during the abolitionist movement in America that emboldened the rising
indomitable spirit of Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer were Sojourner Truth, “I will not allow my
life’s light to be determined by the darkness around me” and Harriet Tubman, “I freed a
thousand slaves, I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.”
Juneteenth or June 19, 1865 is officially recognized as a state holiday or Special Day of
Observance in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Legislation to establish Juneteenth
as a National Day of Observance in America will be re-introduced for passage in the United
States Senate, United States House of Representatives and on to the desk of the President
of the United States. Our project supports the campaign to make Juneteenth a National
Day of Observance in America, like Flag Day and Patriots Day. This observance signifies
the fulfillment of President Abraham Lincoln’s executive order, known as the Emancipation
Proclamation. Juneteenth occurred when approximately 2,000 Union soldiers arrived
in Galveston, Texas to force Confederate slaveholders to comply with the presidential
executive order decreed two and one-half (2 1/2) years earlier, January 1, 1863. Freedom
offered by the European American oppressor was limited for Black Africans and their
ancestors who arrived bound and chained during the Maafa.
The European American oppressors drafted and signed the Declaration of Independence,
July 4, 1776 to officially liberate themselves of the financial tyranny of Great Britain.
However, many of the founding fathers were slaveholders living in contradiction while
creating policies designed to limit the dignity and freedom of Black Africans, called “Negro”.
Benjamin Banneker, African scientist, astronomer and surveyor and free born descendant
of slaves was hired to survey the heavens to aid in the design of America’s U.S. Capitol and
its [“White” House] built by Black African slave labor. Egypt on the Potomac.

National Tour Production Company – Healing Through the Sound of Music
www.thefannielouhamerstory.com - info@healingthroughsoundmusic.com PH: 347-395-0259

8

HEALING THROUGH THE SOUND OF MUSIC

Why Celebrate Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer as the National Theme for Juneteenth?
Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer was born October 6, 1917 and
raised in very harsh and impoverished living conditions
sometimes going days without food as the twentieth
child of James and Ella Townsend. Her parents migrated
from one Mississippi Delta sharecropper plantation to
another seeking higher wages in an impossible attempt
to find a better quality of life. Fannie Lou Hamer became,
“Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired” by deciding to
take control of her life through voting out institutionally
oppressive policies.
The late Lawrence Guyot was a friend and civil rights
activist beaten and jailed alongside Mrs. Fannie Lou
Hamer for registering to vote. He stated in response to
a Clarion-Ledger interview, “there is talk of building a
statue of Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer and rightfully so… I will
say that only three things should appear on her statue, a
bible, … Fannie Lou once said I can’t hate White people
and expect to see the face of Jesus, a ballot box, {her
spiritual songs inspired the courage of many to risk their
lives to register to vote} and a picture of her testifying
at the 1964 Democratic National Convention.
Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer rose from slaving on sharecropping
plantations to lead the charge as the spokesperson
for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee
(SNCC), Held national college student training camps at
Miami University in Oxford, OH for the 1964 Mississippi
Freedom Summer Voter Registration Campaign. She
founded the Mississippi Freedom Farms initiative to feed
the impoverished. She founded the Mississippi Freedom
Democratic Party to challenge the incumbent European
American oppressors by running for congress. Her
credentials committee testimony at the 1964 Democratic
National Convention caused a seismic shift on the sociopolitical landscape of America which became the catalyst
to the passage of the Voter’s Rights Act of 1965.
She picked up the inspirational torch of Sojourner Truth
and Harriet Tubman to become the undisputed Mother of
Voter Registration for the Negro in America. Celebrating
her 100th anniversary birthday is the most advantageous
light to shine for the National Theme of Juneteenth 2017
– 18. Time has come to stake our claim to reparations
reinforced by a recent United Nations panel report as we
move towards our next election cycle.
National Tour Production Company – Healing Through the Sound of Music
www.thefannielouhamerstory.com - info@healingthroughsoundmusic.com PH: 347-395-0259

9

HEALING THROUGH THE SOUND OF MUSIC

HISTORY AND INSPIRATION OF PERFORMER
JUNETEENTH NATIONAL EDUCATION TOUR
Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Mzuri Moyo
Aimbaye, whose talents combine the presence
of a movie star with a booming vocal range
and the versatility of an opera singer has
been enthusiastically received on cabaret
and concert stages both nationally and
internationally. She lived and sang briefly in
Paris and Rome. Upon returning from Europe,
she trained as an actress at HB Studio, New
York City. She performed in small productions
in the NY/NJ area and was later casted as Lucy
for the cultural film “SANKOFA.” Ever mindful
of the importance and power of culturally
sensitive stories, Mzuri continued to search
for material and projects in which she could
invest and share her multi-talented artistic
gifts
In 1998, she happened upon a television
interview with Fannie Lou Hamer, the Mother of
Voter Registration for Black African Americans,
which aired on the program “Like It Is.” Ms.
Aimbaye was struck by the realization of Mrs.
Hamer’s incredible story and mesmerized by
her kindness and forgiveness. Mrs. Hamer
described voter registration inequities and
brutal jail-house beatings without showing
any signs of anger or bitterness. Mrs. Hamer’s
uncanny display of courage and compassion
inspired Ms. Aimbaye to conceive the powerful
one-woman show, “The Fannie Lou Hamer
Story. “When she dons her wig and ankle

length dress, Ms. Aimbaye
channels Mrs. Fannie Lou
Hamer and takes the audience
on a riveting 60-minute journey of
storytelling integrated with eleven
power songs coupled with a video montage to
raise awareness about Mrs. Hamer’s activism
whose efforts led to the passage of the Voter’s
Rights Act of 1965.
Ms. Aimbaye is celebrating her 16th year
resurrecting the indomitable spirit of Fannie
Lou Hamer. She endeavors to establish THE
FANNIE LOU HAMER VOTER RECOGNITION DAY,
to remember the lives of so many that subjected
themselves to violence and murder for the right
to vote. Exuding the power of a warrior when she
speaks and the voice of an angel when she sings,
audiences become transfixed in the 60’s civil rights
struggle, experiencing the emotional highs, lows,
twists and turns of the courageous spirit and
determination of Mrs. Hamer. Ms. Aimbaye travels
the country with her signature performance
in theaters, churches, high schools, colleges,
universities and civic organizations. The show has
become a backdrop for voter registration wherever
it is performed, leaving audiences inspired and
spellbound showing how current events hauntingly
mirror the Civil Rights Movement fifty years ago!

2015 - Miami University Oxford, OH: Perform in the very well preserved theater
and historic location where Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer trained college students for
the Freedom Summer Voter Registration Campaign of 1964. Among those were
Chaney, Goodman & Schwerner.

POST SHOW OPPORTUNITIES
Ms. Aimbaye will conduct a Healing Q & A session with the audience to discuss how
current events hauntingly mirror the Civil Rights Movement of Mrs. Hamer fifty years
ago! Audience members will be able to ask questions about Ms. Aimbaye’s personal
journey and transformation as she embodied the spirit of Mrs. Hamer.
ACADEMIC COURSE STUDIES IMPACTED
African American Studies
American History
Government
Journalism

3
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15

HEALING THROUGH THE SOUND OF MUSIC

The Fannie Lou Hamer Story
(Voter’s Tribute to Socio-Political Justice)

Fannie Lou Hamer, known for being “sick and
tired of being sick and tired,” was born October
6, 1917, in Montgomery County, Mississippi.
She was the granddaughter of slaves. Her family
was sharecroppers – a position not different
from slavery. On 1962 when Hamer was 44
years old, Student Non-violent Coordinating
Committee (SNCC) volunteers came to town
and held a voter registration meeting. She was
surprised to learn that African Americans
actually had a constitutional right to
vote. She further discovered that voter
registration allowed for a jury pool to ensure
African Americans would be judged by a
jury of their peers. When the SNCC members
asked for volunteers to go to the courthouse
to register to vote, Hamer was the first to raise
her hand. This was a dangerous decision. She
later reflected, “The only thing they could do to
me was kill me, and it seemed like they’d been
trying to do that a little bit at a time ever since I
could remember.”

Documentary Promo Video

When Hamer and others went to the courthouse, they were jailed and beaten by the police. Hamer’s
courageous act got her thrown off the plantation where she was a sharecropper. She also began to
receive constant death threats and assassination attempts. Still, Hamer would not be discouraged; she
became a SNCC Field Secretary and traveled around the country speaking and registering people to
vote. Hamer co-founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP). Fifty years ago, in 1964 the
MFDP challenged the all white Mississippi delegation of the Democratic National Convention. Hamer
gave a testimony in front of the Credentials Committee that rattled the nation in a televised proceeding
that reached millions of viewers. She talked about being brutally beaten for simply registering to vote.
She told the committee how African Americans in many states across the country were prevented from
voting through violence, intimidation, illegal tests, taxes and information. As a result of her speech the
delegates of the MFDP were given speaking rights at the convention and the other members were
seated as honorable guests. Her testimony catapulted the unjust and inhuman treatment of black
voter registrants into the international spotlight. This global embarrassment became the catalyst that
triggered the passage of the Voter’s Rights Act of 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Hamer was
an inspirational figure to many involved in the struggle for civil rights. She died on March 14, 1977 at
the age of 59. http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/sayitplain/flhamer.html
Djehuty Se Hotep, MBA

Djehuty Se Hotep

Business Development Manager
Djehuty@healingthroughsoundmusic.com
Direct: 347-395-0259